continue to wage, the 24-page filing unveils alleged pandemic and “grammatical sleight-of-hand” moves, an “illicit conspiracy,” and “verbal trickery” on the part of the Bob Bakish-run conglomerate, chief content officer Chris McCarthy and South Park Digital Studios.“We believe these claims are without merit and look forward to demonstrating so through the legal process,” a spokesperson for the company told Deadline Friday.
In short, WBD allege that in 2021 Paramount Global, SPDS and MTV Entertainment Studios carved out an apparent loophole in the wide-ranging 2019 $500 million agreement with now David Zaslav-run company that would permit them to hold on to new seasons ofand over a dozen so-called “original movies” based on the series. Further adding insult to injury, Paramount+ announcedthat South Park’s library would move to the streamer in 2025, with new episodes appearing there starting in 2024.
“Thus, on information and belief, Defendants engaged in a simple and obvious artifice of mischaracterizing the content to avoid obligations under both the 2019 and 1998 Agreements. SPDS’s failure to offer Warner/HBO the option to license the Post-COVID Content for HBO Max was another clear breach of the 2019 Agreement.”
Is this why there wasn’t a new South Park this week? So HBO Max would have nothing to put up?
Warners is cancelling movies and shows, suing Paramount, and dumping their regional sports channels. Don’t tell me Zaslav isn’t prepping the company for a sell. I think Warners will be on the market by 2025, if not sooner.